Ok. while I have written hundreds of stories over time, this will be the first I have published to an actual writing website, so I am more than eager to hear responses. Rate/review=love! I do not own Xena or any of the characters, just the plot of this story, yadda yadda. Although I wish I did. ANYways, this first chapter is very brief, and is more just an introduction to the basics of the plot, Gabrielle as she is now, and the writing style I have chosen to use for this fic. I may come back and edit later, but for the sake of getting this up, here it is.
She didn't scream anymore. At first, it would happen every night; she would awaken with an ear-splitting wail and continue to cry out until her voice had gone hoarse. But by now Gabrielle had grown accustomed to the dreams. Not that it was ever any easier to watch her beloved in Tartarus every time she was weak enough to succumb to sleep, but she had endangered herself and others enough times to be able to hold it in now. Now she just sat up, walked to the nearest stream, and waded in. The water was always like ice, but it reminded her she was no longer dreaming, and sharpened her senses. Tonight, as always, was one of those nights.
She's never coming back to you, the voice inside her soul reminded her. She hadn't been able to see Xena, or even hear her, since coming back to Germania. It had been almost a year.
"Shut up," she whispered. She didn't believe that. She couldn't believe that.
She pulled herself from the frigid water, pins and needles pricking her skin at the cold air. She had almost grown accustomed to the bone-deep exhaustion that had set in. It was like an extra weight, all she had to do was train hard enough, and it would be like it wasn't there. The fire, still burning merrily to itself, provided a small measure of relief, as did her shift as she pulled it over her head, settling back into the blankets. She rubbed her face with her hands and let out a breath, watching the puff of ice vapor swirl away. It was getting to be the time of year where she was going to need actual shelter or she would freeze, fire or not. Pushing that thought away, the bard brushed honeyed waves behind her ear, pulling out the same sheet of papyrus, her constant companion in this journey. It hadn't changed much over the last moon, just collected small observations about her dream, and analyses of the last thing Xena said to her.
"Gabrielle, something's not right," said the warrior to her bard. "I've felt it since Japa, and it's done nothing but get stronger. I need to," and nothing. The air went silent, and the space inside her mind that Xena filled was suddenly, devastatingly empty.
"Xena? Xena cut it out, this isn't the time for joking." Gabrielle looked around, growing more frantic. It was midday, and the sun was high and bright despite the cold, but all the sun in the world couldn't illuminate the darkness Gabrielle suddenly felt in her heart. Tears clouded her vision and choked her, acid and bile burning the back of her throat. She knew then that she was alone, and indeed something had happened.